Post by daveb on Feb 10, 2009 17:00:43 GMT -5
I took delivery of my RSP-2/UPA-2 combo on January 14th. Soon after, I posted an initial review and promised a listening review after allowing the components to break in. It has taken me a little longer to complete this review than I expected. It’s hard to write when you’re listening to music. The following is part two of my review:
Where I’m Coming From
I have been an avid music listener since I was a child. I purchased my first quality component system in 1977. Since then I have gone through all sorts of equipment some good, some bad. I have subscribed to many audio publications over the years and read many, many equipment reviews. When I decided to try my hand at a review, I suddenly realized what a difficult job it is. I mean, I know what I like and I know what a piece sounds like in my room, with my other components, to my ears but how will it sound in your home to you? How will it integrate with your speakers? If it sounds good to me with rock or pop records, how will it sound with classical CDs? In the end I decided that I all I can do is simply tell you what I heard in my room with my setup and let you draw your own conclusions.
Before we begin, I think it’s important to give you some idea of my primary listen system so you’ll understand how my ears are calibrated. My current main listening room is approximately 12 x 14. I have two separate systems in this room. A 5.1 system based on a Denon AVR-5803 receiver for DVD/TV viewing and a second dedicated music system. For this review my comparisons and comments will be restricted to the music system.
My primary music system consists of a VAC Avatar SE tube integrated amp running in triode mode. In this mode the amp is conservatively rated at 24 Watts. The speakers are Tyler Acoustics Linbrook System IIs. My favored input device is a VPI Aries 2 Black Knight turntable. This table is fitted with a JMW 9 tonearm and Benz Micro wood bodied, high output MM cartridge. In addition, I use the VPI SDS speed controller, center weight and outer record clamp. My current digital front-end is a Denon DVD-2900 Universal CD/DVD player that is shared with the 5.1 system.
I will state upfront, I greatly prefer the analog sound of vinyl to most CDs . Records are how I first heard most of the music I listen to and that warm, slightly rolled-off sound has been imprinted in my brain. So, to make this a fair review, I decided to do my critical listening in my main listening room using the VPI as the primary source. While the RSP-2/UPA-2 amp/pre amp combo will be used in my home office with a pair of much smaller Athena LS-100 bookshelf speakers I thought the Linbrooks would provide a better test as I assume most people will be using medium to large speakers with this combo.
My taste in music is all over the place. For this review I mostly selected recordings that I think people are familiar with so you, as the reader, will have some point of reference. I will provide more specific information regarding the records within the review.
Let’s Get Started…
I began my listening with Led Zeppelin (Classic Records / Atlantic SD 8216). This out of print 180gm version of the first Led Zeppelin LP is everything vinyl could have been in the old days if record companies weren’t out to squeeze every nickel out of their artists. This record is a great test of dynamic range because it melds gentle finger picking with proto-metal drumming and Robert Plant’s vocal gymnastics. The UPA-2 did a good job of keeping up. On the first cut, “Good Times, Bad Times” the drums were thick and powerful. On cuts like, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”, Jimmy Page’s finger picking is sharp and quick. I could almost feel Page’s nails clipping the strings as he played. The UPA-2 handled both the soft passages and the thunderous ones with ease. There was no obvious stress in keeping up with Bonham’s drums or Plant’s wailing vocals.
Next up was Little Feat - Waiting For Columbus (Mobile Fidelity – 2013). This may well be the best recorded live album of all time and the MoFi half speed master recording the best version. I chose side three for my listening test. This side starts off with the classic, “Dixie Chicken”, moves to “Tripe Face Boogie” and ends with “Rocket In My Pocket”. Lowell George’s slide guitar hits notes that are almost off the human hearing scale and Billy Payne’s synth pumps out low notes that rattle the windows. Again the RSP-2/UPA-2 reproduced them all at high volume with no problem. I played most of this side with the volume knob at the 3:00 position and never once saw or heard any indication of clipping. To be fair, I think this album could use even more wattage. In all of my test listening, this was the only time I wished I had gone for the RPA-2 (an upgrade I still may consider).
My next side was Linda Rondstadt – Heart Like A Wheel (Cisco – CLP-7049). Side 2. I have always liked this album because it shows off Rondstadt’s vocal abilities and, her band at this time, led by Andrew Gold, is very tight. The side kicks off with “When Will I Be Loved”. This track is a good test of an amp/pre-amp’s abilities to keep instruments separated. Andrew Gold’s doubled guitar parts can get muddy sounding on some systems. The Emotiva duo made it clear that two distinct instruments where being played in unison. Throughout the side Rondstadt’s voice was sweet and clear. I wish someone could convince her to go back into country music again.
After a brief pause in listening to let my ears rest, I went into a mellow mood and pulled out another old favorite, Feliciano! by Jose Feliciano (RCA –LSP-3957). This is a 180 gram reissue of this classic LP. Anyone familiar with this album knows it is full of exquisite finger picking. Listening at moderate volume (twelve o’clock high) I could not only hear the warm tone of Jose’s acoustic but the reverberations of the recording studio itself. Again, like the Led Zeppelin tracks, I could distinctly make out the fingering and picking of the nylon strings.
My final selection is one that will likely not be as familiar to you unless you enjoy old jazz. Ben Webster & “Sweets” Edison – Wanted To Do One Together (Classic Records / Columbia CS 8691). This is a 4 disc album cut at 45 rpm, one side per disc. This allows the tracks to be cut very “hot”. My favorite side is B1. I heard the first cut “My Romance” on a Columbia Jazz compilation CD many years ago. It was my introduction to Webster and his breathy style of playing and I was enchanted. I had never heard a musician put so much of himself into a saxophone before. It’s as though he’s singing through the horn. I’m sure there are folks who don’t care for his technique but to me, it’s pure heaven. Played through the RSP-2/UPA-2 every breathy note comes through the speakers as if Ben were standing in my listening room.
Conclusion
The enjoyment of music is a very subjective thing. One man’s Nirvana is another man’s Garbage. The same is true in equipment. There are those who will tell you that there are no good sounding transistor amps. Others who will tell you that tube amps have too much upper mid-range roll off. Having just completed my first critical listening to the RSP-2/UPA-2 I can tell you that the first statement is false. The UPA-2 is fast and accurate with deep bass. At 100 watts, it has power to spare under most normal listening conditions. However, if you want to reproduce concert volume levels and your lease or neighbors (or your wife) will allow it, you may want to spring for either of its bigger brothers the RPA-2 or XPA-2.
My Final Thoughts
Emotiva is largely unknown in the audiophile world but word is spreading quickly. At around $1000.00 for both the amp and pre-amp this may well be the deal of the decade. If you’re interested in creating a high quality system at a real world affordable price, you can do no better than this pair.
Where I’m Coming From
I have been an avid music listener since I was a child. I purchased my first quality component system in 1977. Since then I have gone through all sorts of equipment some good, some bad. I have subscribed to many audio publications over the years and read many, many equipment reviews. When I decided to try my hand at a review, I suddenly realized what a difficult job it is. I mean, I know what I like and I know what a piece sounds like in my room, with my other components, to my ears but how will it sound in your home to you? How will it integrate with your speakers? If it sounds good to me with rock or pop records, how will it sound with classical CDs? In the end I decided that I all I can do is simply tell you what I heard in my room with my setup and let you draw your own conclusions.
Before we begin, I think it’s important to give you some idea of my primary listen system so you’ll understand how my ears are calibrated. My current main listening room is approximately 12 x 14. I have two separate systems in this room. A 5.1 system based on a Denon AVR-5803 receiver for DVD/TV viewing and a second dedicated music system. For this review my comparisons and comments will be restricted to the music system.
My primary music system consists of a VAC Avatar SE tube integrated amp running in triode mode. In this mode the amp is conservatively rated at 24 Watts. The speakers are Tyler Acoustics Linbrook System IIs. My favored input device is a VPI Aries 2 Black Knight turntable. This table is fitted with a JMW 9 tonearm and Benz Micro wood bodied, high output MM cartridge. In addition, I use the VPI SDS speed controller, center weight and outer record clamp. My current digital front-end is a Denon DVD-2900 Universal CD/DVD player that is shared with the 5.1 system.
I will state upfront, I greatly prefer the analog sound of vinyl to most CDs . Records are how I first heard most of the music I listen to and that warm, slightly rolled-off sound has been imprinted in my brain. So, to make this a fair review, I decided to do my critical listening in my main listening room using the VPI as the primary source. While the RSP-2/UPA-2 amp/pre amp combo will be used in my home office with a pair of much smaller Athena LS-100 bookshelf speakers I thought the Linbrooks would provide a better test as I assume most people will be using medium to large speakers with this combo.
My taste in music is all over the place. For this review I mostly selected recordings that I think people are familiar with so you, as the reader, will have some point of reference. I will provide more specific information regarding the records within the review.
Let’s Get Started…
I began my listening with Led Zeppelin (Classic Records / Atlantic SD 8216). This out of print 180gm version of the first Led Zeppelin LP is everything vinyl could have been in the old days if record companies weren’t out to squeeze every nickel out of their artists. This record is a great test of dynamic range because it melds gentle finger picking with proto-metal drumming and Robert Plant’s vocal gymnastics. The UPA-2 did a good job of keeping up. On the first cut, “Good Times, Bad Times” the drums were thick and powerful. On cuts like, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”, Jimmy Page’s finger picking is sharp and quick. I could almost feel Page’s nails clipping the strings as he played. The UPA-2 handled both the soft passages and the thunderous ones with ease. There was no obvious stress in keeping up with Bonham’s drums or Plant’s wailing vocals.
Next up was Little Feat - Waiting For Columbus (Mobile Fidelity – 2013). This may well be the best recorded live album of all time and the MoFi half speed master recording the best version. I chose side three for my listening test. This side starts off with the classic, “Dixie Chicken”, moves to “Tripe Face Boogie” and ends with “Rocket In My Pocket”. Lowell George’s slide guitar hits notes that are almost off the human hearing scale and Billy Payne’s synth pumps out low notes that rattle the windows. Again the RSP-2/UPA-2 reproduced them all at high volume with no problem. I played most of this side with the volume knob at the 3:00 position and never once saw or heard any indication of clipping. To be fair, I think this album could use even more wattage. In all of my test listening, this was the only time I wished I had gone for the RPA-2 (an upgrade I still may consider).
My next side was Linda Rondstadt – Heart Like A Wheel (Cisco – CLP-7049). Side 2. I have always liked this album because it shows off Rondstadt’s vocal abilities and, her band at this time, led by Andrew Gold, is very tight. The side kicks off with “When Will I Be Loved”. This track is a good test of an amp/pre-amp’s abilities to keep instruments separated. Andrew Gold’s doubled guitar parts can get muddy sounding on some systems. The Emotiva duo made it clear that two distinct instruments where being played in unison. Throughout the side Rondstadt’s voice was sweet and clear. I wish someone could convince her to go back into country music again.
After a brief pause in listening to let my ears rest, I went into a mellow mood and pulled out another old favorite, Feliciano! by Jose Feliciano (RCA –LSP-3957). This is a 180 gram reissue of this classic LP. Anyone familiar with this album knows it is full of exquisite finger picking. Listening at moderate volume (twelve o’clock high) I could not only hear the warm tone of Jose’s acoustic but the reverberations of the recording studio itself. Again, like the Led Zeppelin tracks, I could distinctly make out the fingering and picking of the nylon strings.
My final selection is one that will likely not be as familiar to you unless you enjoy old jazz. Ben Webster & “Sweets” Edison – Wanted To Do One Together (Classic Records / Columbia CS 8691). This is a 4 disc album cut at 45 rpm, one side per disc. This allows the tracks to be cut very “hot”. My favorite side is B1. I heard the first cut “My Romance” on a Columbia Jazz compilation CD many years ago. It was my introduction to Webster and his breathy style of playing and I was enchanted. I had never heard a musician put so much of himself into a saxophone before. It’s as though he’s singing through the horn. I’m sure there are folks who don’t care for his technique but to me, it’s pure heaven. Played through the RSP-2/UPA-2 every breathy note comes through the speakers as if Ben were standing in my listening room.
Conclusion
The enjoyment of music is a very subjective thing. One man’s Nirvana is another man’s Garbage. The same is true in equipment. There are those who will tell you that there are no good sounding transistor amps. Others who will tell you that tube amps have too much upper mid-range roll off. Having just completed my first critical listening to the RSP-2/UPA-2 I can tell you that the first statement is false. The UPA-2 is fast and accurate with deep bass. At 100 watts, it has power to spare under most normal listening conditions. However, if you want to reproduce concert volume levels and your lease or neighbors (or your wife) will allow it, you may want to spring for either of its bigger brothers the RPA-2 or XPA-2.
My Final Thoughts
Emotiva is largely unknown in the audiophile world but word is spreading quickly. At around $1000.00 for both the amp and pre-amp this may well be the deal of the decade. If you’re interested in creating a high quality system at a real world affordable price, you can do no better than this pair.
